Skills To Practice Before Entering Kindergarten

There are a few skills you may want to work with your child on before they enter kindergarten. Please note that children develop at different rates, but these are still fun to do with your child regardless!

Work with children on dressing themselves. If something happens with your child at school and they have to change their clothes, they will probably want to do it themselves. This includes shirts, shorts, pants, underwear and shoes!

Using the bathroom by themselves is also important. Obviously some children will need help, and that is perfectly fine! Teach them the correct way to wipe and flush. This is very important for hygienic reasons!

Something that goes along with numbers one and two is that your child should learn how to unzip/zip and unbutton/button their pants. If they really need to use the restroom, they will need to undo their pants quickly to avoid any accidents. If they need to change, they will also need to know how to take off and put on new pants or shorts correctly.

Teach them how to wash their hands. When I was growing up, I was taught to lather my hands for the amount of time it took me to sing my ABC’s and wash them thoroughly the same way.

Children will want to learn how to blow their own nose. It is second nature to us adults to grab a tissue and wipe a nose when we see a child sniffling. However, your child’s teacher may not want to hold that tissue that will soon be filled with, for lack of a better word, snot. Also, make sure you explain that they should wash their hands after blowing their noses.

An important thing to teach your child is how to open containers! If you pack a lunch for them, they will need to open that lunch and access the food. Children get a good amount of time to each their lunch in kindergarten, but you do not want your child spending their whole lunch period asking for help.

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Kindergarten is exciting! Prepare your child with these skills because they will most likely need them!